FREMONT -- Nurses and engineers at Washington Hospital will get pay raises with the approval of two new labor contracts by the board of directors.

The hospital's 683 registered nurses represented by the California Nurses Association will get a 1 percent pay raise retroactive to July 1, and another 1 percent raise next July. They will also receive a bonus this month worth 1 percent of their pre-raise pay, and another 1 percent bonus in January.

The negotiations, which began last June, also resulted in a new $15,000 training fund that will provide reimbursement for nurse training outside of work hours. The contract expires July 1, 2015, and there are no negotiation reopeners until then.

"We are pleased with the agreement. We think that it meets the needs of our members," said Joe Lindsay, public sector division director for the California Nurses Association, after Wednesday night's approval. "We hope that the next time the contract comes up, we can do this more expeditiously without a lot of extraneous issues being thrown in by the hospital as happened this time."

Negotiations moved much quicker for Washington's 25 engineers and utility workers, wrapping after just three weeks in September. The employees, including those that work in the new Central Utility Plant, will receive a 2 percent raise this month, another 2 percent raise next October, and a 1 percent raise in 2015.

They also received a training fund increase from $405 to $425 per engineer and each will get a one-time $125 payment in their next paycheck to resolve a dispute over "pay period interpretation," records show.

Their three-year contract expires Oct. 1, 2016, and there are no reopeners until then.

"These increases are well within our established budget and allow our health care system to remain very competitive within the health care market," CEO Nancy Farber told the board.

Earlier this year, the board of directors approved 5 percent pay raises over the next two years for the hospital's 155 clerical workers.

Ashly McGlone covers San Leandro, San Lorenzo, San Ramon and the Washington Township Health Care District. Contact her at 510-293-2463. Follow her at Twitter.com/AshlyReports.